


Nine in the Afternoon

by fabulousreaper



Series: The Adventures of Dadikin [1]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 09:54:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7797289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fabulousreaper/pseuds/fabulousreaper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anakin always figured he would become a father, he just didn't expect it to start like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nine in the Afternoon

Anakin watched the little girl play dolls in the corner. She had built a little house out of blocks, giving the faceless dolls names and feelings and, well, roles. She didn't speak, but judging by the way she moved them they must have been speaking at a frequency only little girls and boys could hear. He didn't have many toys growing up, but like this little girl he made do. He found little scraps of metal, wood, and small items that no one would miss. With those he built little characters, giving them strange names and even stranger voices. He felt a hand on his shoulder, looking over to Plo-Koon. 

The war had left it's mark on both of them, more so on Plo than on himself. The older man had been burned severely all over his body and needed an oxygen tank from being trapped in a burning building. A car bomb had crashed into the small apartment building, leaving innocent families screaming and praying for help trapped inside. Plo had tried to help, not even hesitating to jump through a broken window to help. He was able to rescue three families before the building collapsed. When they found him he was laying on top of a little boy who, unfortunately, hadn't survived. Just seeing Plo clutching the lifeless body, as if trying to push his own life into theirs, left Anakin shaking. Soon after that he had lost his hand, being able to see Plo in the base hospital before he was shipped home. 

Anakin looked back to the little girl in the corner. "Where did they find her?"

"In a village." Plo said solemnly. "She was alone."

Anakin felt a pang in his chest, this little girl already reminding him of himself. "And her parents?"

Plo's eyes shifted away from him to the floor and Anakin understood. She must have witnessed horrible things for someone so young. She was only four, but Anakin had no doubt in his mind that she had experienced sorrow most people don't know until they're much older. He supposed that was another thing they had in common. 

"Why me?" Anakin asked, looking back to Plo questionably. 

Plo gave him a sad smile, taking a deep breath from his oxygen tube. "Out of everyone I know, I knew you would understand her the most."

Anakin looked back to the little girl, her dark skin absorbing the weak lamplight of the room. She seemed to sense him looking at her, for she looked up to him with big eyes that mirrored his own. Anakin took in a sharp breath, feeling an immediate connection with her. even though they had never met, he felt that he already knew her as she knew him.

He shouldn't, really.

He didn't know much about raising a girl, hell he didn't even have a partner! The closest he's ever had to one was Padme who, in the end, devoted herself to the public rather than the individual. He had understood, he himself had chosen the military over a normal life (well, as close as he could get to one anyways).

But he did have a house. And money. And an adoptive family that would always be there for him. And maybe, just maybe, he had been looking into adoption online.

He reluctantly sighed. "What do I have to do?"

Plo-Koon smiled at him, this one genuine with a hint of joy. "I've taken care of most of the arrangements. All you have to do is sign some papers and make a followup appointment to check on her well being."

By some papers Plo must have meant a shit ton, because by the time they were done it was almost nine at night. When he signed the last paper the clerk went over to the little girl, gesturing for her to follow her. The girl slowly stood, leaving the dolls inside the little block house. She walked over to Anakin, looking up at him with eyes reflecting the moonlight from the window. He smiled down at her, offering her his hand.

"Hey there, your name is Ahsoka, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, I'm Anakin. I guess I'm your new dad." He said awkwardly.

Ahsoka's eyebrows shot up for a second before they settled, her taking his large hand into her smaller one. Anakin gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and when she didn't shy away he saw that as a good sign.

* * *

Ahsoka had fallen asleep not even halfway back to his house. Poor kid was probably exhausted, he had thought to himself. With the aid of the moonlight he unbuckled her, pulling her from the booster seat that had once been his, and gently carried her into the house. He had a room already set up from having to watch Luminara's daughter on a semi-regular basis. Bariss was a sweet kid and he had no doubt in his mind that she and Ahsoka would become good friends. He gently tucked her into the small bed, brushing a few stray strands of hair out of her eyes. 

Not an hour later he awoke to muffled crying. Not even having to guess, he walked down the hall from his room to Ahsoka's. She was curled up in a ball under her blanket, facing the wall. Anakin sighed, knowing all too well how she felt, and made his way over to her. He sat on the bed, placing a gentle hand on her back. The crying suddenly stopped, her peaking out from under the covers with puffy eyes. He smiled gently at her, patting the spot next to him. Slowly, she crawled out from under the covers and leaned on him, no longer sobbing but tears still falling from her eyes. Using his flesh hand he wiped a tear away, gentling rubbing her back.

"I was a little older than you, but I lost my parents too." He said quietly. "I never knew my father, and my mother was a...slave. A bad man sold her to someone when she was pregnant wit me, and when I was born I became a slave as well. The master didn't take care of me very well, so someone who cared about children took me away. I was adopted by a nice family, they're your family now too."

Tears had stopped falling, but he knew that didn't mean everything was okay. He smiled down at her, giving her a gentle side hug. "I promise you that as long as I live nothing bad will happen to you. I know where you're coming from, and I'll always be there for you."

Ahsoka returned the hug before crawling into his lap, snuggling into his chest. When she spoke her voice was so small that Anakin had to strain his ears to hear her. 

"Could you sing to me, please?"

Anakin smiled down at her, remembering the soft lullabies that his mother would whisper to him when he was a child. Nodding, he took Ahsoka in his arms, slowly rocking her back to sleep.

_"Back to the street where we began_

_Felling as good as lovers can, you know..."_

 

**Author's Note:**

> Don't look at me like that.


End file.
